Primary Pleasures
by XxBloodsbanexX
Summary: Ace discovers a guilty pleasure of Buttercup's, and it somehow brings them closer. Rated T for later songs used. Slight romance.
1. Blue

**I don't own Powerpuff Girls or the any songs used in this fic. **

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High Blue Skies

Not a cloud in sight.

An oddly peaceful day, Ace mused, walking nonchalantly down the streets beyond Townsville. He wasn't exactly sure why he was here, or why he was alone for that matter. He had had the urge to get out of the hangout - the others had stayed behind because both Grubber and Big Billy were feeling sick, and Snake wanted to watch some show. Lil' Arturo was... somewhere. Being Lil' Arturo, Ace guessed.

He stuck out like a panda bear on a farm. Across the street, little kids momentarily stopped their games and looked at him. Some had enough guts to even point at him, saying something to their friends, starting a round of mischievous giggles. Ace decided to ignore the runts - he felt too mellow today, something that didn't happen often. For once he didn't want to beat the snot out of anyone. It was a... somewhat nice feeling.

A house stood out from the others, and Ace paused, lifting his shades to inspect it. The world was a lot brighter beyond the black glasses, and it irritated Ace. He had begun wearing sunglasses most of the time because he simply didn't like the sun - and let's admit it, he looks way cooler with them on. After a while, though, Ace kept wearing his shades because his eyes had become sensitive to any strong light. Sunlight burned his eyes, even after just a short time of exposure.

It was the house of the Powerpuff Girls. He'd never really been there before, but in reality there wasn't anyone in Townsville who didn't know where the Powerpuff Girls lived.

Now that he thought about it, Ace hadn't seen Bubbles, Blossom or Buttercup in a really long time. Not since that race for the key to the world. Not that he had any reason to have seen them. He and the gang had been... quieter for the last couple of months. It was strange. Everything just seemed to have tone down.

Ace sighed. He toed the cracks in the white sidewalk, staring at the three round windows that probably led to their rooms. He could see something red poking out - Blossom was looking down into the front yard. Amazingly, whatever she was looking for distracted her from noticing the Gangreen Gang member, who was still standing right before their house. Pulling herself back inside, she said something to another person - Bubbles or Buttercup, Ace guessed - and walked back into the room, out of sight.

Ace licked one of his fangs. Then he strode across the street, keeping his gaze fixed on the house. He didn't know exactly why he was doing this. It seemed to be happening without much consideration. But he wasn't worried about anything - why, he honestly didn't know.

He stood on their lawn, but to the side of the house, close enough to the wall so that he couldn't be seen from the window. He plucked a leaf from the hedge, ripping it apart and chewing on the vain for a few seconds.

Something caught his attention. Ace looked up. He heard something; it was a familiar song, being sung by a familiar voice.

_I need a gun to keep myself from harm_

_The poor people are burning in the sun_

_But they ain't got a chance, they ain't got a chance_

_I need a gun, 'cause all I do is dance._

_'Cause all I do is dance..._

Ace recognized the song. He kept looking towards the roof, walking the length of the wall until he reached the back yard. He stumbled into the backyard.

Beds of flowers, neatly organized by color gave the yard an optimistic feeling. Ace hissed. A rose thorn had snuck beneath his pants leg, stinging his ankle. The roses grew against the back wall like a disease, their vines and thorns and leaves clinging tightly along the face of the wall.

Ace gazed upwards once more, just in time to see a limb fly by. The voice sounded again.

_I need a gun to keep myself from harm_

_The poor people are burning in the sun_

_But they ain't got a chance, they ain't got a chance_

_I need a gun, 'cause all I do is dance._

_'Cause all I do is dance._

Curiosity was getting the best of Ace. Without deliberation, he began to ascend, digging his long green fingers into the areas with the least amount of thorns. He stabbed the points of his shoes into the wall, using them to help him climb. It was a slow process, but eventually Ace got high enough to look past the lip of the roof.

It was Buttercup - or at least, Ace thought it was Buttercup. She looked so different. First off, she was taller, and her arms and legs had gotten longer. Buttercup's hair wasn't in it's usual flip, but pulled back into a small ponytail, with strands escaping to hand in her face. She was wearing light brown tights, blue shorts, and a green, sleeveless button down shirt. Held in her fingerless hand was a light green tSphere Mini; the earphones hung in her ears (ears?), and faint music could be heard.

Buttercup had been lying down on the flat roof. Now she was dancing around, singing, twirling in circles. Her eyes were closed and the music distracted her ears, so she did not notice when Ace pulled himself onto the roof with her.

Buttercup had gotten to the part of the song with more rapping, and she was fumbling over the words, eventually choosing to simply listen. Ace - who's random confidence spurred him on - calmly plucked an earphone from Buttercup's head and stuck it in his own ear.

Buttercup jumped, instinctively turning and giving Ace a good hard punch in the face. Luckily it wasn't too hard of a punch, and if it had been anyone else it might not have hurt so much. But Buttercup was Buttercup, and even a gentle punch from her still hurt the face.

Ace hissed again, one hand going to his slightly bleeding nose and the other to the earphone, keeping it in place. But Buttercup had paused the music and was staring at Ace with indignant disbelief. "_You?_ Ace? I thought I was being attacked - what the heck are you doing here, anyway?" Here emerald eyes narrowed.

Ace smiled from beneath his hand. Once he stopped the bleeding, he whipped the hand on his pants and reached over to Buttercup. The Powerpuff flinched, but Ace's finger merely poked the play button.

**Seems like everybody's out to test ya**  
**'til they see your break**  
**You can't conceal the hate that consumes you**  
**I'm the reason why you fill up your Isuzu**

Buttercup stared at Ace, but the Gangreen Gang member simply raised his brows at her, asking her if she was going to join him. She blinked. Her eyebrows ere furrowed, but for some reason Ace's relaxed air made her a little less tense. She shrugged and - keeping her distance - joined the green teenager for the next few verses.

_**Hill with your old lady at the tilt**_

_**I got a 90 days visit, and I'm filled with guilt**_  
_**from things that I've seen**_

_**Your water's from a bottle -**_  
_**mine's from a canteen!**_

_**At night I hear the shots ring**_

_**so I'm a light sleeper**_  
_** The cost of life, it seems to get cheaper**_  
_** Out in the desert with my street sweeper**_  
_** The war is over**_  
_** So said the speaker**_

_**with the flight suit on**_  
_** Maybe to him I'm just a pawn**_  
_** So he can advance**_  
_** Remember when I used to dance...?**_  
_** Man, all I want to do is dance…**_

Ace and Buttercup shifted from foot to foot, in sync, both of them humming the music when there were no words.

**_I need a gun_**

**_to keep myself from harm_**

They stopped. Buttercup let out a short laugh, but remembering who she was sharing company with, stopped. Her gaze met Aces, and her defenses were up again. "What are you doing here?"

"What? I thought we were just havin' a moment," Ace joked. He had sneakily taken the tSphere from Buttercup's hand and was scrolling through the songs. Buttercup huffed and snatched it back. "How did you even get up here, Ace?"

Ace sighed through his nose and gave Buttercup a flirtatious smile. "No name callin'? I guess you have matured, Buttercup."

"Unlike some I'm still immature enough to punch you again; on purpose this time." Ace winched and nervously kicked a rock off of the roof.

The pebble happened to hit Bubbles, who's head had just stuck out of the window. It bounced off of her yellow bob. "Ouch." Bubbles turned and looked up. Buttercup pushed Ace back just in time so that only she was visible to the blue puff. "Buttercup, there you are! Blossom is having a fit. You haven't cleaned your side of the room yet!"

Buttercup called back, "Yeah, yeah, I'm gettin' to it!"

"She wants you to do the kitchen and living room, too!"

"What!"

Bubble's gave a sympathetic smile. "Sorry. I tried to talk her out of it. You know how she is when you ditch."

Buttercup rolled her eyes. "I didn't ditch; I was taking a... lunch break."

Bubbles giggled. "But it's only ten in the morning."

"Ten in the mornin'...?" Ace muttered to himself. Was it really that early? How had his schedule been so thrown out of whack? Buttercup slapped a hand over his mouth, shushing him and looking back down to Bubbles. "Whatever! I'll be down in a sec."

Bubbles went back inside, and Buttercup removed her hand from Ace's mouth. "Don't you ever know when to keep your mouth shut?" she asked, bad tempered. Ace shrugged his shoulders, holding up his hands. "Is there ever a time when no one wants to her my voice?"

Buttercup scoffed, but she was also dangerously close to smiling at Ace's teasing. She sighed. "I'll make a deal with you; if you leave now, no more of this nonsense, I'll help you down."

"What makes ya think I'd take that kinda deal?"

"Do you honestly want to climb back down those vines?"

Ace put a finger to his sharp chin, as if thinking it over. "Ah... Okay."

Buttercup smirked. She put the tSphere into her pocket and grabbed onto Ace's arms, gently flying him down to the ground across the street from the house. He gave her a mock salute. "Thanks cutie."

"Don't call me cutie, punk. Or you'll get a black eye."

"BUTTERCUP!"

Both hero and villain winced. "Good luck with Blossom."

Buttercup shrugged. "Who needs luck? I don't need luck. I live with that thing. See ya."

"Will I?"

Buttercup smirked. "Maybe."

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**Hope you review!**


	2. Yellow

**This chapter was longer than I'd expected, even with the lyrics. Format is different for the music. I couldn't get it to stay in the middle after I saved - I guess I screwed it up or something... I hope no one minds. I'll try to fix it in the future, after the story's done. **

**Please review and enjoy!**

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Yummy Yellow Apples

They were arguing again.

Ace and the rest of the Gangreen gang were walking down a street. The leader was too upset to notice where exactly they were. Grubber, Big Billy and Lil' Arturo were keeping their distance - the fiery black aura singed their hair if they got too close. Snake though, Ace's right hand man and appointed yes-man, kept slithering back to his bosses side, poking his elbows, trying to get an explanation out of him.

"Hey Bossssss, whatss with the ssssulking?"

"It's nothin'."

"It hasss to be sssomething."

"I told you Snake, it ain't nothin'. Get off my back, man."

Snake paused, and then said quietly, "It'sss your parentssss, isssen't it?"

The rest of the gang stopped walking, as did Ace. He was standing, shoulders hunched, his back turned away from the others. For a long moment no one did or said anything. Then Ace sighed, slipping off his shades and rubbing his face with the other hand. Snake and the others gazed at him with worry.

The tiniest sniffle.

"Yeah, it's them. So what? Like it isn't them every other day."

Grubber shot a shy raspberry, his face somber. The spit fell and sizzled on the hot tar of the road.

Ace turned, his glassed back on their perch. "It was about me, okay! When is it not about me?" With eyebrows pointed downward, Ace rolled his head in a small circle - since the others couldn't see him roll his eyes, he made a gesture to go along with it. "They say I shouldn't be hangin' out with you guys. But whadda they know, huh? Nothin'. It's no big deal."

Snake's frown deepened. It was exaggerated by his black lipstick, like a clowns make up. "But Ace, they've been arguing for the passst month about the ssssame thing. Aren't you a little worried?"

"Why should I be? I'm seventeen! What can they do?"

Big Billy spoke, "Dah, they could ground you, Boss. Yeah."

Ace crossed his arms and smiled mockingly. "Yeah right. They haven't even thought to lock my windows yet. Shows how much they know."

"But Ace," Lil' Arturo protested, "they're still your padres. You're not eighteen yet - they can still tell you what to do."

"Maybe _your_ parents got a leash on you, but not me," Ace snapped. Arturo cringed, retreating to stand by Big Billy's massive leg. Snake hissed. "Don't be a jerk, Ace. We're - "

"I know, I know. 'We're only tryin' to help.' Well I don't need your help. It's no big deal. They fight all the time. It's not like they're gettin' divorced or somethin'."

All four of the members cringed. Ace had just used the D word. And there were only two reasons he would use it - he was really afraid it would happen, or he had heard the word being tossed around by his parents.

Snake hung his head. "Ssssorry, Ace..." The long necked teen took a few more steps back.

Ace nodded roughly, physically stating that the discussion really was over and would _not_ be brought up again. Turning on the heel of his shoe, he began to walk again.

"Dah, isn't that the Powerpuff Girls house?"

All five of them turned to look across the street. It was indeed the Utonium household. The house was square and white with a red door and three round windows. The light of the windows glinted back onto the sidewalk as the gang looked.

Grubber snapped his fingers and spurted out some nonsense with his tongue. Snake grinned. "Yeah. That'll make you feel better - letssss prank the Powerpuff Girlsssss." The others cheered in agreement. Ace slapped Snake upside the head. "Ouch!"

"Don't be some kinda moron," Ace said plainly. "You don't go prankin' the Powerpuff Girls house. That's just stupid, even for you guys."

"But Ace," Arturo said, "it looks like they're gone." The tiny green boy pointed and Ace took a closer look.

Indeed, the car wasn't there, and all of the lights were off. The curtains had been pulled closed against the downstairs windows. Snake flicked out a tongue. "I don't think they're home. Looksssss like they've gone off for vacation or sssomething." It was plausible. Summer was here. More than half of the Townsville residents had left the city to visit family or stay at exotic places.

Ace thought about it. A memory suddenly struck him. He had been standing here, not too long ago, scrutinizing the household with a bored eye. It had been a month since his encounter with a singing Buttercup, but whenever he thought about it a funny feeling poked at his throat.

"Well... I guess we could." Ace turned to Grubber and Lil' Arturo. "You guys, go check the windows, front and back. Make sure no one's in. Billy, Snake, you two come with me."

So they took positions. Arturo and Grubber, being the shortest, would be less likely to be seen if anyone was in the house. Big Billy grabbed hold of Snake and lifted him onto his shoulders. Ace climbed up them like a ladder.

"Alright boys, everyone stay outside until I give the okay signal."

"Whatssss the okay sssignal?"

Ace shrugged. "I'll wave for ya or somethin'. Now stop wabblin'. I gotta check and open the window."

Ace put his face close to the glass. Through it he could see clean room and it was cut into three obvious sections. One section was arranged with red and pink things; the bed, vanity and posters were pink in some way. The second was a range of blues, with glow in the dark bubbles attatched to the walls around the bed. The pillows weren't pillows more than they were stuffed animals - in fact, the toy creatures covered most of that area. The last area grabbed Ace's interest most. Most of it was hidden with a dark green curtain that had been installed around the area. Because most of the room was dark, he could notice a light coming from beyond the curtain, against the wall.

"Would you hurry up and get insssside! My sssshoulderssss ache!"

Ace knocked his foot against the side of Snake's head. "Shut up. Be quiet. I'm goin' in."

"About time."

Ace stomped on Snake's head and used it to propel himself into the room. He made sure not to hit the ground too hard as to be heard. It was then he noticed something. A voice, drifting from beyond the curtain. Along with the voice came a repetitive tapping, keeping in time with the hushed music.

_I made it through the wilderness_

_Somehow I made it through_

_Didn't know how lost I was_

_Until I found you_

Ace couldn't help the snicker that escaped his lips. He knew that voice. This was going to be good. Slowly, making sure to close the window behind him, Ace tip toed over to the curtain, and peeking through a crack beside the wall he spotted Buttercup. The Powerpuff was sitting on a chair before a desk. The screen of her laptop illuminated her face dimly. Her eyes were closed; she was using two pencils to tap against the desk top like drumsticks.

_I was beat, incomplete_

_I'd been had, I was sad and blue_

_But you made me feel_

_Yeah, you made me feel_

_Shiny and new!_

_Like a virgin_

Buttercup's voice wasn't perfect, of course. It was rough, boyish, but it cracked on the high notes in a cute way, and she could hold a note long enough. Buttercup was dressed simply in a black tank top and jeans. Her shiny black hair was wet, the water soaking in the small towel draped over her shoulders. The puff kept moving it back with a hand. Ace smirked, and stepped closer.

_Touched for the very first time_

_Like a virgin_

_When your heart beats_

_Next to mine_

_Gonna give you all my love, boy_

Buttercup pushed her foot against the floor, sending her chair spinning. Ace watched and forced himself not to laugh.

_My fear is fading fast_

_I've been saving it all for you_

_'Cause only love can last_

Suddenly Buttercup stopped spinning. She slammed both arms down onto the desk, startling Ace. But she hadn't noticed him - she was trying to get back to her work. She muttered the lyrics as she scribbled.

_You're so fine... and you're mine_

_Make me strong, yeah you make me bold_

Ace had taken position behind the girl's desk, and now he once again plucked off her earphones. "Yeah, you sure do," he said lightly.

A person's mind works amazingly swiftly - well, for most people - though we don't ever really notice. A person could think a lot of things within a second. Even more so for a Powerpuff. Before, Buttercup had punched Ace without much thought because she had instantly thought she was being ambushed. But now her thoughts were working differently.

Her first thought was: Intruder! Beat the snot out of him! But half a second after that thought, it was: Wait, this situation feels familiar. Deja Vu much? After that Buttercup thought: Oh, I see... This all happened within the span of one second, so Buttercup did not punch Ace in the face.

She just shot up in her chair, smacking him upside the head, much like he had done to Snake.

The green teenager had expected such a blow but made no attempt to dodge it - Buttercup was simply too fast. Instead he chuckled as the surprised Powerpuff smacked him a few more times, angrily shouting the phrase_ "What _the_ hell _are you doing in my room, Ace!"

"I didn't know you sung about me when you were alone. Woah..." Ace pretended like he had suddenly realized the implications behind his accusations. He grinned as Buttercup gave him another slap, but this time it was to hide her blush from his sight. "Shut up! Cucumber!" Ace could not hold back his laugh.

Buttercup huffed. She slumped back into her seat, glaring at the teenage boy in her room. "Haven't you ever heard of personal space?"

Ace shrugged. He rolled his head on his neck and let himself fall downwards into one of Buttercup's beanbags. He figured that if he was sitting lower than Buttercup she would loosen up a bit.

He was right. At the sight of Ace being so close to the floor, seemingly harmless, Buttercup allowed herself to relax a little. They observed each other; the song from her tSphere was still playing faintly.

_You're so fine and you're mine_

_I'll be yours 'till the end of time_

_'Cause you made me feel_

_Yeah, you made me feel_

_I've nothing to hide_

"So, what, were ya takin' a shower or somethin'?"

Buttercup blinked and then understood. "Yeah. I took advantage of my situation."

"_The_ Situation?"

Buttercup pretended to gag. "Idiot. No. The Professor and my sisters went to the beach. I had a - " Buttercup did a very bad imitation of a cough, "cold, so I got to stay behind."

"As one who has faked many a cough, that was a disappointment."

Buttercup smirked and shrugged her shoulders. "Whatever. It was enough to fool them. They aren't used to realizing when I lie to get away from them yet." Ace allowed himself to remove his sunglasses. The room was dark enough so that it didn't hurt his eyes to uncover him. As long as he didn't stare at the computer screen he was okay. "Wanted a break from the family, huh?"

"Yeah. I can't stand them sometimes! Professor's not that bad, but he's really been getting on my case lately."

Ace sat up again. "That reminds me - what are ya, eighteen or somethin'? Weren't you a midgit not to long ago."

Buttercup rolled her eyes and went back to her work. "The Professor says fifteen, or around that."

"Hmm?"

"Some growth-spurt thing or something, I don't remember. I spaced out in the middle of his explanation. Anyway, something about us growing up in the mind so our bodies caught up or whatever. I'm like, fifteen years old now, I guess." Ace scratched his chin. "Interestin'. Very interestin'..."

Buttercup frowned at the look Ace was giving her, so he stopped and said, "So, family; they been buggin' ya lately?"

The green Powerpuff sighed and reached across the desk. There sat a basket of apples that Ace hadn't noticed before. The apples were golden yellow in color, and after a second thought, Buttercup grabbed a second one and threw the fruit at Ace. "A snack helps me study."

Ace caught the apple expertly, giving it a once over for bruises. "Does it help your singin' voice too?" he asked, taking a bite. Juice flooded into his mouth - the apple was tangy and sweet.

They sat for a few minutes, munching on their apples - Buttercup did a few more problems while Ace thought about nothing in particular. Finally Buttercup turned back to him, and reaching into a drawer she asked, "Could you please stop humming?"

Ace blinked. "Wha?"

"You were humming that song. Stop it."

Instead of saying anything Ace took another bite and sunk down in the bag and looked around. His eyes had already accustomed to the dim light. Buttercup's part of the room was the smallest, just a square, but he didn't think she minded. The bed wasn't made up; sports and VG magazines were lying around and beneath the bedspread. A bag of chips and an empty cup sat on her bed side table, under a reading lamp. On a small shelf installed above the backboard was a line of books, their spines ranging from a centimeter to half an inch thick. Her dresser was backed up against the curtain.

Buttercup's desk was a little neater than the rest of her room, but papers and notebooks stuck out of the drawers. An old and beaten action figure of Spore lay underneath candy wrappers and dust.

Ace sat up, looking at the papers on Buttercup's desk. "Blech, Geometry. I hate math."

Buttercup shrugged. "I'm okay at it. It's Bubbles who absolutely loathes it. Blossom is a wiz at it, of course..." Her voice turned mocking, ugly. Ace looked up at her. "You're really tired of them, huh."

Buttercup sighed, setting down her pencil and resting a cheek on her hand. "Uh huh. Bubbles with her whining and boy obsessions; Blossom with her know-it-all attitude and her high-and-mighty air; don't even get me started with the Professor! He's been at me for weeks. Criticizing on every little mistake I make. Even has the nerve to comment on my fighting! Says I need to learn new tactics - I fight just fine! I've been fighting like this for years! Ugh! Sometimes they just... I just wanna - "

Buttercup roughly pushed herself away from the desk, strode past Ace and threw herself onto her bed. She grabbed a pillow and screamed into it, punching it and throwing it at the wall in her frenzy of rage. Ace watched her fume in silence.

Eventually the puff calmed down. She grunted, falling down with her arm hanging off the side of her bed. Her hair was covering half of her face but she didn't seem to care. Ace had never noticed until now how long it actually was.

Faintly, Ace remembered that his gang was waiting for him outside. But right now they didn't seem too important. They could take care of themselves. None of them would be stupid enough to come inside looking for him.

"At least you know he cares," Ace muttered. Buttercup rolled her eyes. "No, seriously," Ace continued, "my parents yell at me all the time. It only means they care."

"Yeah right. You're always with the Gangreen Gang. I bet you never have to stay home. Aren't you like eighteen or something?"

"Seventeen."

"Same difference."

"Not really. And I'm at my house enough. Where'dya think I sleep?"

Buttercup huffed again, turning away from him. Ace frowned. Her reaction was unsatisfactory. How to reclaim her attention?

"The boys wanted to prank your house 'cause we thought you were all out." That got her attention. Buttercup's head snapped up faster than a catapult. _"What?"_

Ace shrugged. "They're probably still waitin' below your window for my okay to come in. Don't look at me like that. I'll make it up to ya - you can throw me out the window when I leave or somethin'."

Buttercup growled. She swung herself out of the bed and pulled Ace up by the arm. "C'mon, you're leaving now!"

"Aw, but why?"

"Because I have homework to finish."

Ace expertly threw his apple core into the bin beside Buttercup's desk. It fell in with a 'thump'. "Alright sugarcheeks -"

"-Sugarcheeks?"

"- but you gotta promise me somethin'."

Buttercup put her hands onto her hips. "Why should I?"

Ace thought. Then he said, smirking, "I'll tell your sisters we made out."

Buttercup made loud gagging noises. "Eww! Gross! You wouldn't even!"

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Ace said. Buttercup's cheeks were a nice pink color. He found the sight to be amusing. "How 'bout I just tell them about your little singin' lessons?"

"You wouldn't dare..."

"Oh, would I? I've got nothin' to lose."

"Except your teeth," Buttercup growled.

"Just promise."

Buttercup heaved an exhausted sigh. "If I say okay, will you leave?"

"Sure, why not. I know when I'm not welcome."

"Fine. What is it?"

"When your dad and sisters get home, give 'um a hug. Each."

The girl looked surprised. "What? That's it?"

Ace thought for a second. "Yeah. That's it. Just hug 'um."

"That's stupid," Buttercup said. Ace shrugged and took off his shades, twirling them. "You're the one singin' songs about me."

"You're delusional."

"You never denied it, budlett."

Buttercup chuckled. "Where do you come up with these stupid pet names?"

"I've had practice." To add effect, Ace winked at her before replacing his glasses. Another blush. "Yeah right."

"Yeah." Ace took a step closer to her and threw an arm around her shoulder. "Right."

Buttercup laughed, and it was a real one this time. "Get out of my house before I castrate you, Ace."


	3. Red

**Sorry this took a while. I keep getting distracted by Gorillaz videos. Well... here we are! Part three of Primary Pleasures. I hope you all enjoyed the story! And if you review, you might get a surprise... I've gotten hung up on Powerpuff Girl fics, so expect another short story or One-shot soon after this is done. I've got a lot on my plate, and because school is about to start again it might be a while for any real updates or good stories to come after this month. But I'm going to keep trying. **

**This one is a lot shorter than I'd hoped... but... **

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Crusty Red Paint

It was a hot day.

Ace was walking aimlessly, weaving through the roads made by the piles of garbage and trash around him. Making sure not to step on any rotten food, Ace let his mind wander for the most part. Why had he decided to go out anyway? He could have been back at the hangout with the others, who were most likely lying dead-like in the shadows of the trash mountains.

Sweat dripped down Ace's face, and he wiped it off with the back of a hand. He was really beginning to get on his own nerves. What was with all the walking lately? He should be lounging on a couch playing video games, eating chips and other fattening foods. Though that was nearly impossible, since Big Billy usually ate all the good stuff first.

In truth, the teenager was rummaging for presents for his younger sisters. It might not sound very sincere, but Ace didn't have any money and he'd learned from experience that people throw perfectly good things away, be it on purpose or on accident. Because Ace was the eldest of five, with four younger sisters, his siblings loved anything he gave them. Even Emily, who was fifteen, loved his crappy gifts. They just enjoyed the fact he remembered all of their birthdays. And because Emily, Vicky and the twins were all born in the same month, they almost always had a birthday party on the same day.

Ace had already found something for the twins - a nearly spotless puppy sculpture and three old Picandi games, which if still functional they could play on their Picandi 46. He'd been looking for two and a half hours; Ace still needed something for Emily and for Vicky, the middle child.

It was getting harder each year to find something for the older girls. Unfortunately, Vicky was beginning to be influenced by Ace's lifestyle and attitude. It wasn't anything serious yet, but she'd gotten into a few fights at school and the idea of pranks and schemes was starting to appeal to her. It was an endless frustration for their parents, and Ace was afraid that if he didn't start being a better influence that Vicky would end up living on the streets like him.

It wasn't that Ace didn't enjoy his life; in fact he loved every minute of every day he spent with the gang. But the reality of his situation was constantly nagging at him now. His parent's fights were getting worse and more frequent; his sisters were either embarrassed of him or influenced by his antics; worst of all Ace's grades were getting even worse than before. Usually he'd been able to keep a B, C, D averaged, with more C's than anything. But he'd gotten a few F's in his math and lit classes. If he didn't try harder things were going to crumble fast.

He needed to talk to the gang about it. But he was stalling.

Another pile, mostly of plastic things and broken glass. Ace wasn't a genius, but he'd been smart enough to wear gloves for his garbage diving adventures. He carefully picked though the rotten and the broken and scanned the rubbish in search of a treasure.

There! Something caught the small sliver of light. Ace reached a hand between a deflated basketball and a shattered vase. Touching it, he wrapped it in his fingers and gently pulled it out. It was obviously glass and he didn't want to break it. Once he had it out in the sun, Ace couldn't help but laugh when he realized what it was.

It was a tiny glass replica of himself. Ace chuckled. Turning it in his fingers, he examined the colors and shapes. It was surprisingly lifelike, with nearly precise detail on his clothes. All of the colors were the same. And lucky for Ace, none of it was broken. There was only one imperfection - white marks on each of his feet. It looked something had been attached and then removed.

He continued to pick through the mound, and eventually he found something. Big Billy's figurine was falling apart, having already lost its arms. He had found the shattered remains of Snake, while Grubber's head was missing. Lil' Arturo was the only one intact, but it was much more stained than Ace's figurine. Ace concluded that they had all been attached before being thrown away.

Powerpuff Co. was the world's number one source of Powerpuff toys and goods. It was of course a very rich company. They made thousands a day selling Powerpuff Girl products every day all around the world. Cards, designs, toys, furniture, action figures, dolls, and figurines. The tiny glass statues were more popular with teenagers and adults, but they were admired and eventually the company decided to sell statues of villains the puffs fought on a regular basis. Ace knew about this because one of the twins, Heather, loved the girls. She always wanted something if it was related to the Powerpuff Girls. Ace was her idol because he got to see them most of the time, though it was mostly just their fists.

Ace pocketed the tiny figure and moved on to the next pile. The air around him was heavy with the rancid stink of decaying scraps. Ace had long gotten used to ignoring the smell, but the heat was intensifying it. He looked up and saw a few vultures actually circling above him, dropping down when finding some kind of blistering meat to appease their appetites. The teenager decided to walk along the edges of the yard. Because the Townsville Dump and Yard was both a dump and a junkyard, half of it was for normal garbage; the other half was separated by a crumbling brick wall. Beyond the wall was a range of silver and brown mountains; car parts, broken electronics, out-of-date phones and VCR's, piles upon piles of useless trinkets just waiting to be found and used again.

As Ace approached the border between the dump and the yard, he began hearing noises. They weren't the usual noises he heard around here. The green teenager backtracked until he came to a pile of bricks hidden amongst the garbage piles. He had ordered Big Billy to take any disregarded bricks from the wall or piles and turn it into its own heap. It made for a good sentry point. Ace made his way up to the top, making sure his footing and being careful not to upset the pile. Once at the top he carefully found his balance and shakily stood to his full height. Now he could see nearly every inch of this side of the dump and a corner of the junkyard.

The bricks were heated from the fierce sunlight. Ace's hands were burning slightly from the climb. He buried one in a pocket and used the other to shield his eyes. He looked towards the noises.

Someone was messing with the brick wall the divided the yards. Further down he could see a group of people replacing holes in the wall with new bricks. Beside that group was another, covering the already reconstructed wall with something shiny. And much further to the left was a single person. They were painting the walls bright red. Said person was swaying back and forth, every once in a while looking down at something. Ace could see that the person had black hair.

Not again, Ace thought, though he wasn't really displeased. Two weeks. It had been shorter than their first meeting.

Perhaps it is Fate, Ace thought, than burst into a fit of laughs. He stared, remembering the direction she was in and scrambled off of the brick hill. Once back on solid earth, he made his way towards her.

The wall that separated the dump and yard was six and a half feet high up and cut through the entire Dump and Yard. Before it had just been normal bricks and because it was crumbling and falling apart there had been gaps and holes for the gang to get through. Now, as Ace came closer, he could see they had reconstructed it with larger, much more durable bricks. The girl he had seen was painting the wall in red while black ear phones dangled from her head.

_I wake up every evening... with a big smile on my face_  
_And it never feels out of place_

_And your still probably working at a 9 to 5 pace_  
_I wonder how bad that tastes_

Buttercup was once again wearing her hair in a low ponytail with strands hanging in her face. Right now she was wearing an oversized white shirt stained with red pain blots. Her dark blue shorts had large pockets, one of which Ace guessed held her tSphere. She was sweating too, but it didn't seem to bother her as much as it did Ace. Buttercup was currently trapped in her own little world, once again completely oblivious to her amused audience.

_When you see my face_  
_Hope it gives you hell_  
_Hope it gives you hell_

_When you walk my way_  
_Hope it gives you hell_  
_Hope it gives you hell_

_Now where's you picket fence love,_  
_And where's that shiny car?_  
_And did it ever get you far?_

_You've never seem so tense love_  
_I've never seen you fall so hard,_  
_Do you know where you are?_

Ace wondered if he should interrupt her now or later. He unconsciously took the little figurine out of his pocket and inspected it again. The miniature him was wearing a cocky smile. His dark shades hid any evidence of normal emotions, and disguised his face enough so that you could never tell what he might do by facial expression. He was tall, cool, and green.

_And truth be told I miss you..._  
_And truth be told I'm lying!_

_When you see my face_  
_Hope it gives you hell!_  
_Hope it gives you hell!_

_When you walk my way_  
_Hope it gives you hell!_  
_Hope it gives you hell!_

_If you find a man that's worth a damn and treats you well_  
_Then he's a fool, your just as well, hope it gives you hell_

Ace watched as Buttercup danced, painting the wall with her movements. It was the first time he had really looked at Buttercup. Her body shape was for the most part the same as when she was still below his knee, but if he looked close enough he could see the beginnings of a waist. The way she moved wasn't completely jerky and random, but flowed in a way that kept Ace interested, wondering what she would do next. And the way Buttercup sang when no one was around, it was as if she would be at home singing in a public place.

_Hope it gives you hell!_

The Gangreen Gang leader was still amazed at how lost Buttercup got when she was listening to music. He'd only been with her twice before, but even know it was odd. Ace could sneak up on her, surprise her, watch her, pretty much anything and she wouldn't notice unless he interrupted her physically. It was just interesting to see someone like Buttercup dropping her guard to such extreme levels.

_Tomorrow you'll be thinking to yourself_  
_Where'd it all go wrong? The list goes on and on_

This song... It reminded Ace of when he'd used Buttercup's affections to his own advantage. It wasn't a strange thought - he'd manipulated Buttercup's affections and in the end it blew up in his face. At first he'd been angry that his brilliant plan hadn't worked. But after a while, after a lot of thought, Ace realized what he'd done had been one of the cruelest things he'd ever done. Ace knew he would never be able to really fix things.

_And truth be told I miss you..._

But he could try.

_And truth be told I'm lying!_

Ace plucked an earphone from Buttercup and said, "Singin' songs 'bout me again, huh?"

Buttercup jumped but didn't do much else. The puff had red paint staining her hands. She rubbed them together in an attempt to get it off before snatching the earphone from his Ace's and removing the other one. "Are you some kind of stalker or something?" Ace shook a finger and grinned arrogantly. "Hey, you're the one who's in my turf this time. I rule the dump." Buttercup rolled her green eyes and muttered, "Crappy place to rule, but whatever makes you happy." But before she could say anything else Ace's cheeks changed color. He nervously asked, "Hey, uh, where exactly are you keeping your tSphere?"

Buttercup tilted her head in confusion but then realized why Ace was uncomfortable. She smirked and reached a hand down her shirt, fishing out her tSphere. "It's actually a good place to keep it." Ace moaned. "Now I can never touch it again. Ma used to do that when I was a kid - it still gives me the creeps. You girls." Buttercup shrugged and wrapped the cord around her electronic device, putting them both into her pocket. "Did you come here for any kind of reason?"

"Nope. Just wanderin' - it is _my_ dump, of course. I can do whatever I want."

"Uh-huh, yeah, sure."

"So, what are you doin' here?"

Buttercup raised her hands. "Guess you caught me red handed. The Professor volunteered us to help rebuild and paint this stupid wall. Of course I couldn't get out of it. Remember how I told you he'd been bugging me?"

"Yeah."

"Well, now he's got us doing all sorts of things around the town that doesn't involve punching anyone. Fund raisers, charity appearances, birthday parties. Usually I'm fine with this kind of stuff but I barely get any time alone anymore."

"Hm. Bummer."

"Uh-huh. Hey what's that?"

Ace saw Buttercup had noticed his tiny figurine. He held it up and said flatly, "It's me. I was thinkin' of givin' it to my sis, but I don't know. I'm already a bad enough influence."

"You have a sister?" Buttercup actually looked surprised. Ace nodded. "You didn't know? I have four of 'em. And you think you have it bad."

"Why would you give her that?"

"Their birthdays' are comin' up and I'm lookin' for presents for 'em."

Buttercup settled a hand on her hip. "How kind of you. Lookin' for presents for your four sisters in the dump." Ace held up his hands. "Hey, hey, woah, don't say it like that - it makes me sound like a soulless jerk. Anyways, it's not like I have a choice." Ace turned his pockets inside out. "I'm horribly lacking in funds." Buttercup chuckled but then looked over Ace's shoulder. "Aw, they're coming back."

Ace turned, "Who?"

"Blossom and Bubbles." Buttercup looked back at Ace. "You better get going. They won't like me talking to you. Blossom's uptight right now."

"Isn't she always?"

Buttercup grinned and gently bunched Ace's shoulder. "You're not as bad as you act."

"What are ya talkin' about? I'm bad - I'm the baddest of the bad."

"You're a soft-headed sack of turds, that's what you are."

"Now that hurt Buttercup. I thought we were gettin' along; where's the love?"

Buttercup laughed and then said, "You really need to leave."

"Give me a boost over this stupid wall, will ya?

Buttercup knelt and cupped her arms together. Ace put his foot down and Buttercup lifted him upwards until he could swing a led over the tip of the wall. He sat on it like a horse and looked back down at her. "Thank you."

"How are you going to get back over, smart one?" Ace shrugged. "I'll just walk around it. I don't have too much happenin' today." After a thought, he dropped the tiny statue back down to her. She caught it easily. "Here. You can have that. Vicky doesn't need it, I'll just get her somethin' else."

Buttercup raised an eyebrow and said, "Why would I want this?"

Ace slid down his shades, winked at Buttercup, and threw his other leg over to the wall. Buttercup watched as Ace smiled at her before letting go and falling to the other side.


End file.
